School of Law and Political Science

Careers in Diplomacy: Challenges and Changes in the Profession

Published on in Conference
  • Event Type: Conference
  • March 27, 2026 > 4:00 p.m.
  • Location: Building 1 > Paul VALÉRY Lecture Hall (1.1.C)

Érik COLOMBEAU,

Senior Foreign Affairs Secretary, Former Secretary General of the French Embassy in the United States (2020–2024)

Worked at the Ministry of Employment and Solidarity, 1997–2000;

Admitted to the competitive examination for the position of chancellery secretary, August 1, 2000;

Headquarters in Paris, Directorate of Humanitarian Action, 2000–2003; 

Vice Consul in Tokyo, Japan, 2003–2006; 

Vice Consul, then Deputy Consul; Head of the Administrative and Financial Division in Ottawa, Canada, 2006–2009; 

Appointed and confirmed as a member of the Foreign Affairs Secretariat on November 1, 2008;

Political Editor at the central administration in Paris, covering Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Directorate for Continental Europe, 2009–2012;

Secretary General at the Embassy in Vienna, Austria, 2012–2016;

Secretary General at the Embassy in Berlin, Germany, 2016–2020; 

Secretary General of the Embassy in Washington, D.C., 2020–2024;

Headquarters in Paris; Office Manager in the Human Resources Division, Career Paths Subdivision, since September 2024.

► Conference organized by students in the ELAN L1 Law track